All things considered, the developers at Creative Assembly have been doing fantastic running wild with the deep Warhammer lore that has been set in stone for years, and it turns out having a chance to play through the epic battles between Elves and Empire, Dwarves and Orcs, and the slew of other races is precisely what the doctor ordered. It marries well with Creative Assemblies arching genre that they’ve notched out over the past decade or two in the Total War series and getting an up-close and personal view as your army obliterates swarms of vermin beneath their weaponry is easily one of the most satisfying experiences to be had in years.
The relatively recent Potion of Speed update only solidified the title as a fantastic experience whether you’re going it alone against the swarms of enemy clawing in on every side, or with a friend so you can help each other in desperate battles while you mock their poor preparation. Turns fly by in seconds instead of minutes, and before you know it the birds begin chirping outside as you’ve dedicated yet another all-nighter to hammering the campaign into shape.
One thing that Total War: Warhammer 2 has against it, however, is the sheer number of additional purchases the game now comes with.
From a day-one transaction to enable blood (in a game of war) that Creative Assembly once stated was to appease rating boards, to most clans being additional purchases, they’ve frustrated some of their fans that have otherwise stood by the title and franchise.
It's time for a grudge match!
Grom is the only Greenskins warlord to have ever successfully invaded Ulthuan. Eltharion, a High Elf pince, will do all he can to protect his home from the forthcoming green tide…
The Warden & The Paunch, out May 21: https://t.co/eGJ8mC23Az
— Total War (@totalwar) May 7, 2020
Yet another DLC has been announced, and this one will run you $9 if you choose to opt-in the experience.
Titled The Warden and the Paunch, it brings two new legendary lords to play as. The titular Warden is Eltharion The Grim, and the Paunch is a Greenskin Lord.
As is the tendency for these smaller packs, they do come with some unique units that can help flesh out some of the more stale moments of building your army. The tendency to maximize your unit tier, followed by upgrading those unlocked units, still remains.
While Eltharion the Grim doesn’t necessarily have anything too exciting that is adding into the gameplay, the Paunch does; travel the campaign map seeking out specific ingredients; combined into a stew, it can offer Grom and his units specific buffs and advantages in battle.
Conversely, Eltharion does have a couple of unique units of his own that are more than powerful enough.
The entirety of the campaign, however, points to a missing segment currently within Total War: Warhammer 2; smaller maps showing off specific factions facing each other. Rome 2 had this in spades, allowing the Romans to fight off the impending Gaul invasion, or even themselves, in smaller cuts of the map that allowed more of a focus on strategy and less on diplomacy. It’s always difficult to predict what the future may hold, however, and Creative Assembly has shown that they are nowhere near done with this second iteration. The DLC is scheduled to arrive on May 21.
